'No Xenophobia in SA': Malema Calls Out March and March for Causing Division in Africa

• EFF leader Julius Malema addressed President Duma Boko in Botswana, delivering a firm stance on xenophobia in South Africa
• Malema argued that attacking fellow Africans amounts to self-hatred, calling for unity across the continent
• His remarks took aim at anti-illegal immigration groups he described as 'thugs' trying to divide Africa

AFRICA - Julius Malema used a visit to Botswana to make his position on xenophobia unmistakably clear. The Economic Freedom Fighters leader addressed President Duma Boko directly, insisting that South Africa as a nation does not embrace xenophobic behaviour.

Malema was speaking at the BNF National Conference in Jwaneng, Botswana on Sunday, 19 July 2026.

Malema takes aim at anti-immigration groups

Malema argued that those targeting fellow Africans, including Batswana, are not expressing patriotism but rather a deep form of self-hatred.

"We are married to each other," he said, framing anti-African sentiment as a contradiction of identity rather than a political position.

Read also

Ugandans repatriated from South Africa put into patritotism camp in video

The EFF leader did not shy away from naming the movement behind what he described as attacks on foreign nationals. He referenced figures linked to the anti-illegal immigration movement, including Jacinta MaNgobese Zuma, Ngizwe Mchunu and Phakelumthakathi, dismissing them as a fringe element with no mandate to define South Africa's character.

"There is no xenophobia in South Africa," Malema said. "It's a few groups of thugs who think they can run our country and make Africa divided. We do not subscribe to xenophobia."

He went further, urging South Africans to see themselves in every Black person they encounter, a statement rooted in his broader pan-Africanist outlook. He expressed his belief that the African continent will one day unite as one.

See video here:

Malema draws a hard line on political alliances

Beyond the xenophobia debate, Malema also used the platform to address his political allegiances. He ruled out any future partnership with the Democratic Alliance or the Freedom Front Plus, calling such an alignment a betrayal of the progressive cause. He said he would rather live in poverty on the streets than compromise by aligning with what he called "the enemy."

His remarks in Botswana quickly ignited debate back home, with many South Africans split over whether his framing of the anti-illegal immigration movement as xenophobic was accurate or dismissive of legitimate concerns about undocumented migration.

Read also

Zimbabwean Member of Parliament calls for 25,000 South Africans to be expelled from country

Malema lashes out at anti-immigration movement

Previously, Briefly News reported that Malema lashed out at anti-illegal immigration activists, accusing them of selectively targeting Black foreign nationals while showing deference to white people. A video of Malema speaking passionately at a large EFF rally was shared on X on 22 June 2026 and has since gone viral, igniting fierce debate among South Africans ahead of a planned national shutdown targeting undocumented immigrants.

Source: Briefly News